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ABU DHABI: When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander capped off the 2024-2025 season by leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA championship and claiming both the regular season MVP and finals MVP awards, he became the latest alumnus of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program, part of the league’s global development pathway, to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

That pathway will be on display in Abu Dhabi this month with the first NBA Academy Showcase in the Middle East, hosted at New York University Abu Dhabi from Sept. 25-27. The event will bring together elite youth teams from Senegal’s NBA Academy Africa, Australia’s Centre of Excellence, France’s INSEP Academy, and the US-based IMG Academy Ascenders, who will compete in front of NCAA coaches and NBA scouts as they look to take the next step toward college or professional careers.

Neal Meyer, vice president and head of basketball operations for NBA Europe and the Middle East, told Arab News the choice of Abu Dhabi was no coincidence.

“Since 2022, our collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has significantly accelerated the growth of basketball across the region, with Abu Dhabi emerging as a key regional hub for basketball development,” he said.

“The city’s world-class infrastructure, commitment to creating opportunities for young people to play basketball, and international outlook make it an ideal location for this first-of-its-kind elite event.”

The showcase takes place just days before the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers face off at Etihad Arena on Oct. 2 and 4 as part of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025 presented by ADQ.

The games will give fans in the region a rare chance to see some of the world’s best players in person, with two of the NBA’s historic rivals to meet in the UAE capital.

Meyer believes the back-to-back events underline how Abu Dhabi has quickly established itself on the world basketball map.

Globally, the NBA Academy and Basketball Without Borders programs have produced more than 140 NBA and WNBA draftees, including Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP who fans will see in action at Etihad Arena.

The NBA Academy programs have alumni from more than 40 countries who earned NCAA Division I scholarships, underlining their role as a gateway to elite basketball.

“These success stories provide young boys and girls across the world with real-life examples to look up to and allows them to dream of a future playing elite basketball,” Meyer said. “Bringing the live NBA experience to Abu Dhabi through preseason games has been a huge driver.

“But also everything we’re doing to create more opportunities for youth to play the game, whether that’s by expanding our Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League that has reached more than 20,000 boys and girls since we launched it in 2022 or refurbishing community basketball courts in collaboration with ADQ,” he added.

Since the inaugural NBA Abu Dhabi Games in 2022, participation has surged by more than 400 percent in the capital. Across the UAE, basketball has grown by 60 percent, while the wider Middle East has recorded growth of more than 50 percent.

With initiatives such as the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, refurbished community courts and now the inaugural NBA Academy Showcase, the NBA is laying the foundations for a long-term talent pathway in Abu Dhabi and the wider Middle East.

Arab players such as Lebanon’s Rony Seikaly and Egypt’s Alaa Abdelnaby and Abdel Nader have featured in the league before, but with Abu Dhabi driving the game’s growth — and the showcase providing a new platform for young prospects — the stage may now be set for the emergence of the first Emirati player in the NBA.

“Given the popularity, interest and now opportunities to play basketball in the UAE, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t start to soon see NBA-level players coming from the region,” Meyer said.

“Our grassroots efforts in Abu Dhabi — including events like these — are important steps in building a pipeline to one day produce the NBA’s first Emirati player.”